Consumer Advocate Rebuts Pro-Adelon Editorial

Pro-gambling consumer advocate Michelle Minton has issued a direct rebuttal to an editorial writer by US politician Wellington Webb in which the former Denver mayor voiced support for Sheldon Adelson's online gambling ban attempts.

Writing in the New Pittsburgh Courier, Minton questioned Webb's comments that internet casino players are "chumps" and asked how online operators are more of a threat to players than land based establishments and state-run lotteries.

In her own editorial Minton wrote: "An [federal] online gambling ban will do nothing to protect consumers - but it will protect the profits of brick-and-mortar casino owners like Webb’s boss, Sheldon Adelson."

Minton then proceeded to rip into both Webb and Adelson for their skewed views on the Wire Act of 1961, which they are trying to utilize in order to ban online gambling in the United States.

"Webb erroneously claims that the U.S. enacted a federal online gambling ban in 1961 with the passage of the Wire Act, which was intended to target mobsters engaged in sports wagering. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, the Wire Act’s architect and principal supporter, had no intention of imposing a federal ban on gambling," Minton claimed.

"In testimony on the Wire Act, Kennedy only talked about the mob's activity involving horse racing and “such amateur and professional sports events as baseball, basketball, football and boxing. He also made it clear that the Wire Act was intended to assist states in enforcing their laws on gambling, not to create a federal ban on the activity."

“Kennedy testified that ‘the federal government is not undertaking the almost impossible task of dealing with all the many forms of casual or social wagering.’”

Minton then went on to observe that online gambling is legal in 85 different countries, and that the rate of problem gambling on a global stage has been dropping steadily since the 1990's, which dispelled Webb's claim that online gambling presents unique dangers to consumers.

Wrapping up her article Minton wrote: "Webb may think online gamblers are “chumps,” but criminalizing the activity hasn’t and won’t make them stop. State authorities already have the ability to decide what consumer protection tools their licensed online casinos should adopt. The only way to protect consumers from any threat posed by online gambling is to bring the activity out of the dark."

Those interested in reading the article in its entirety can do so by visiting: http://newpittsburghcourieronline.com/2014/10/19/online-gambling-ban-doe...

Those who want to read Webb's viewpoint can do so at: http://newpittsburghcourieronline.com/2014/10/15/the-hidden-dangers-of-i...